I've been training in martial arts and self defense systems for over 25 years and enjoy writing about what I've learned. My goal is to give you practical advice and tips you can apply right away in your training.

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How To Increase Your Punching Power And Hit Harder In Three Easy Steps

Hit with maximum power, every time you punch

One of the most important factors in any fight is the ability to hit hard. This means that anything you do to increase your punching power brings you closer to successfully defending yourself in the street or beating your opponent in the ring.

To a certain degree, punching power is an innate gift. Some fighters are just blessed with good genes that give them strong bones and muscles that contract explosively. This allows them to hit exceptionally hard, even if they lack good technique. When those fighters actually train to improve their effectiveness, they can become legendary power-punchers like Mike Tyson.

If you did not win the DNA lottery, you can still improve the power of your punches but it'll take some work. Here are 3 easy steps to start hitting with bone-crushing power:

Step 1: Focus on good technique.

Proper punching technique generates the maximum power you have in you. The more you mess up the technical aspects of each punch, the less power you generate. It's that simple. Think of good technique as the engine of a car: a finely tuned, well maintained engine will make your car drive so much faster than a stalling engine with technical problems.

Step 2: Avoid power leaking out.

To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So the more force you generate in your punch, the bigger the shockwave that goes back through you on impact. If your elbow, shoulder and the rest of your body are misaligned, this shockwave will leak out the power at those spots. And you will hit your target less hard. To avoid this, practice getting every technical detail of your punches right so your power never gets wasted.

Step 3: Strike with an explosion of power, not a slow build up.

Many fighters have weak punches because they generate power like a train gains speed: slowly accelerating and only reaching top speed after a long time. To have knock-out power in your punches, you want to do the opposite. Fire your punch like an arrow from a crossbow: the arrow accelerates the most as it leaves the bow and slows down afterwards. Do the same thing with your punches; go for top speed as soon as your arm starts moving and then keep on accelerating. You will not only hit with more power, you also will not have the time to slow down either because your fist will crush into the target before that can happen.

Important tip:

Train these three factors continuously. If you only practice them for a little while, you will hit harder but you will never reach the full potential of your punches. Instead, practice proper technique,Â preventing power leakageÂ and explosive acceleration every time you train. Practice to the point where you get these things right regardless of how tired you are, and you will always have devastating power in your punches.